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When Jodie Yanek received the rest of her long-awaited SNAP benefits for the month — and after buying some food to tide her over — she started thinking about how she could put together a small Thanksgiving dinner for her and her boyfriend with a $60 budget.

The 47-year-old compared turkey and ham prices at a nearby South Deering grocery store. She dreamed of mashed potatoes and green bean casserole and ended up buying a pie.

“I was ecstatic,” Yanek said of getting the benefits. “I cried tears of joy. It was very scary the prospect of losing it.”

Yanek, like countless others across Illinois, say they’ve dealt with confusion and uncertainty heading into the holiday because of the federal back-and-forth on funding for

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